History

Northwest A&F University (A&F) is a national key comprehensive university directly under the jurisdiction of the Chinese Ministry of Education (MOE). The university is co-administered by the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Water Resources, State Forestry Administration, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Shaanxi Province. As one of the leading universities in China, A&F is supported by the Ministry of Education's "Project 985", whose purpose is to build world-class universities in China. The university is also a member of the "Project 211", a new government endeavor aimed at strengthening 100 institutions of higher education and key disciplinary areas as a national priority for the 21st century. In addition, the university is one of 56 universities authorized to run Graduate Schools in China.

The University originated from the National Northwest Junior College of Agriculture and Forestry which was founded in 1934, and other research and educational institutes that were later founded in Yangling. In September 1999, approved by the State Council, seven teaching and scientific research institutions, namely Northwest Agricultural University, Northwest Forestry College, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest Institute of Water Resources Science, Shaanxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shaanxi Provincial Academy of Forestry, and Northwest Institute of Botany merged and became today’s Northwest A & F University.

Academics

NWAFU is the only education institution in China that is completely equipped with disciplines of agriculture, forestry, and water science. Currently, there are altogether 23 colleges (departments, institutes) and Graduate School, covering disciplines of agriculture, science, engineering, economics, business, liberal arts, law, philosophy, history, medicine, education, arts, etc.. The recruitment of undergraduate students has been initiated in 1934 and post-graduate students in 1941. During the past eight decades, more than 130,000 professional talents have stepped out of campus to work home and abroad, among whom 15 have become academicians of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering; they have made outstanding contributions to Northwest area and whole China in world agriculture modernization and rural economic social development.

Research @ NWAFU

NWAFU always aims at the frontier development of high technology. In accordance with national and regional strategic demands, NWAFU has conducted applied researches in areas of Animal and Plant Breeding, Plant Protection, Agricultural Biology Technology, Agriculture and Irrigation Technology in Dry Areas, and Comprehensive Treatment to Water and Soil Loss in China’s Loess Plateau have developed distinguished features and priorities. NWAFU has acquired more than 5000 accumulated scientific achievements in various areas, among which over 1800 achievements are awarded. Outstanding research accomplishments include“Bima-1”, the most widely planted wheat variety in China, and “Xiaoyan-6”, the leading replacement variety. The university researchers also developed the apple variety “Qinguan”, the most commonly planted apple variety in China. The direct economic benefit of promoting these achievements values over 200 billion RMB.

With “Issues of agriculture, farmer and rural area” as its development theme, NWAFU has always stuck to the practice of close integration of production-learning-research and has developed from agriculture-oriented to agriculture-oriented-multidisciplinary-coordinated national key university. At present, guided by the new plan and strategy of NWAFU, all faculty and students are working together and striving to realize the goal of “highlighting close integration of production-learning-research, and constructing the world first-level agricultural university”!

Campus

The University urban area is around 3.94 km², covering two main campuses: North Campus and South Campus. Besides, the Institute of Water and Soil Conservation, College of Food Science and Engineering and College of Water Resources and Architectural Engineering have their own independent campuses for administrative affairs and research respectively.

Generally, South Campus hosts study and living facilities for senior undergraduates from the College of Agriculture, College of Horticulture, College of Forestry, College of Water Resources and Architectural Engineering, College of Resource and Environment and College of Economics and Management. All students from International School, most of the postgraduates, undergraduates from the Department of Arts (Landscape Arts Design) and all students from the College of Vocational and Adult Education also live and study at South Campus.

Although North Campus is mainly for undergraduates of other colleges, some postgraduates move to North Campus for their research since they become the 2nd year students. On South Campus, Agriculture Science Building, Social Science Building, new apartments as well as student facilities are under construction now. The study and living environment will be greatly improved when these buildings are available. Besides, A&F provides vehicles (small bus) to ferry students and staff between South Campus and North Campus on a daily schedule.

College of International Education

The College of International Education (CIE) was established in May 2010. CIE is in charge of admissions and education of international students, CIE is responsible for teaching the Chinese language for international students at NWAFU. The duties of the CIE are to recruit international students, go through residential formalities and entry-exit procedures, conduct daily management and provide services for international students. CIE is also responsible for coordinating with other colleges at NWAFU to handle teaching affairs of degree international students and the teaching of the Chinese language. CIE consists of general office, the office of admissions and division of Chinese leaching and research, there are 14 staff members, including 9 administrative staff and5 teachers of the Chinese language.

The university has the right to recruit Chinese government scholarship students. And the university also offers the Chinese training programs and China-US people-to-people exchange scholarship. The university has established a scholarship for excellent self-funded international students.

About Xianyang

Xianyang is located in the hinterland of Qinchuan, 800 miles from Shaanxi Province, with Weishui penetrating the south, Laoshan to the north, and the mountains and rivers to the south. It is adjacent to the provincial capital of Xi'an in the east, Yangling National Agricultural High-tech Industrial Demonstration Zone in the west, and Gansu in the northwest. The city has 2 districts, 2 cities, and 9 counties. Xianyang has beautiful scenery, four distinct seasons, rich products, and outstanding people. It is the first post on the Silk Road and the central point of China's Central Plains to the northwest. Xianyang has a history of building cities for more than 2,350 years. It is a class-A open city in China, a national historical and cultural city, a national model city with dual support, a national sanitary city, the first Chinese charming city, a geothermal city in China, and one of the top ten livable cities in China. China's outstanding tourist city, the nation's advanced city for the creation of spiritual civilization, the city of Chinese health culture and the national garden city.

Xianyang is located in the center of the motherland's territory and is the location of the origin of China's land. It has been a strategic town in the west since ancient times. Today's Xianyang is the most convenient city in the northwest to connect the world. It has one of the six domestic airports and the largest inland port in Northwest China and an inland port for export products. From here, you can fly to more than 40 important cities in the country within an hour. Adjacent to the largest railway station under construction in Asia, 9 national railways and 6 high-speed roads run through the country. The only interchange between the two high-speed railways from Beijing to Kunming and Urumqi to Shanghai is also here. Xianyang will form a Land "day traffic circle" in other important cities. By train from Xianyang to Beijing for 4 hours and Shanghai for 5 hours, it will definitely add wings to the development of Xianyang.